Placer Land Trust, William Jessup push to preserve 402 acres of Clover Valley; Loomis council weighs contribution

Placer Land Trust and William Jessup University presented a plan to permanently protect roughly 402 acres in Clover Valley — land that abuts the Town of Loomis — and asked the council to consider a financial contribution and participation in future management planning.

Jeff Darlington, executive director of Placer Land Trust, told the council the group has raised about $13 million of a $16 million acquisition goal to buy and protect the valley floor. “We have an MOU with Jessup to raise money to protect a portion of Clover Valley,” Darlington said, adding that the purchase, if funding rounds close as expected, could complete in early April.

The conservation easement that Placer Land Trust intends to record will be perpetual, Darlington said, and will prevent subdivision and most development on the protected acreage. He said Jessup currently holds title and would remain the landowner initially; stakeholders including the Placer County Office of Education (PCOE) have expressed interest in using the site as an outdoor…